coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them who dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth, by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

Here St. John enters upon the description of a second beast, very different from the former, yet not succeeding the former, but appearing during his continuance; and this beast (whoever he is) we find sundry ways here described, namely, 1. By his original he ascended out of the earth, ver. 11. which denotes his rise from a small beginning to a mighty height, as those things which from small seeds grow out of the earth to be tall trees. Thus has one arisen from being Episcopus urbis, to be Episcopus orbis. 2. He is said to have two horns, whereas the former beast had ten, ver. 1. which signifies ten kingdoms, into which the Roman empire, after its dissolution, should be divided. Accordingly, by the two horns here, in all reason may be understood two of those kingdoms of which this beast (whoever he be) shall be possessed. 3. He is said to look like a lamb, but to speak like a dragon; that is, to pretend to great meekness, and make a show of much lenity and mildness in his proceedings, but should really be very cruel: pretending to do all without violence, but doing indeed all by force, assisted by his armed dragons, and booted apostles, with javelins in their hands. 4. It is affirmed, ver. 12. that he shall arise during the continuance of the first beast, and engage in his cause, assuming to himself as great, or a greater, power than any emperors did before him, causing the earth, that is, all earthly-minded men who are subject to him, to worship the first beast, that is, to yield as great reverence and obedience to his decrees for establishing idolatry,

as ever the people did under the Pagan emperors. 5. He is remarkable for working wonders, and articularly for causing fire to come down from hoaven in the sight of men; that is, he seemeth to the deluded multitude to do as great miracles as Elias did, who brought down fire from heaven to confirm the religion he professed: in like manner the beast here works wonders seemingly great, lying wonders, false miracles, such as false prophets may work, and have wrought for confirming their false doctrines : false prophet elsewhere, chap. xvi. 8, 9. accordingly we find this beast here called the He requires the inhabitants of the earth to make an image to the beast, that is, he persuades them, now professing christianity, to introduce and bring in such a kind of idolatry, that the old heathenish idolatry may seem to revive again. Here note, That the idolatry of the church of Rome is a living image of the old heathenish idolatry; this is but the image of that, that was performed to heathen deities, this to departed saints. Popery, says the learned Dr. More, is such a christianity, as in all points answers the model of the old execrable heathenism, with which the Gentiles were enamoured then, as are the Papists now: thus the wounded and dead image of Pagan idolatry revived, and lives again in Papal idolatry. Good God! that any persons professing to know and worship the blessed Jesus, should thus dishonour him, by intermixing the old heathenish superstitions, or something worse, with his holy institutions.

15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. 16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

St. John proceeds here to give a fart! er

character and description of the beast, which he had begun to describe, ver. 11. And, 1. His bloody cruelty is set forth, ver. 15. He causeth them to be killed that would not worship the image of the beast. Where mark, It is not said that he killed them himself, not challenging directly the power of life and death to himself; but he causeth them to be killed, namely, by the secular power, by the kings and princes, who are the horns of the beast, and who give their power and strength to the beast, and war against the Lamb. Again, 2. After his cruelty follows his compulsion; he causes all sorts of men, high and low, bond and free, to receive a mark in their right hand, and in their forehead, in allusion to an ancient custom, which was to mark servants and soldiers on the arm, by which it was known what master or captain they belonged to; in like manner the beast here is said to have

a mark for those that are his, which mark seems probably to have been an open owning of him, an active engagement for him, a professed subjection to him. 3. The beast is here said to interdict and forbid all trade and commerce with those that had not his mark, verse 17. He causeth that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark of the beast. Several bulls and decrees have been sent forth from Rome, commanding that no traffic or commerce be had with any heretic in buying or selling, but only with those that profess themselves members of the Romish church. 4. It is added, that the Number of the beast is six hundred sixty-six, that is, that the numeral letters of a certain word or name, being computed, should amount to that number. I shall close this chapter with the words of a great man, Archbishop Tillotson, on Rev. xiv. 13, page 329. "Unto "whom all the fore-mentioned characters of "the beast do agree, and especially the num"ber of his name, I shall not presume to "conjecture, much less positively to de"termine, because it is said to require a par"ticular wisdom and understanding to find "it out: Here is wisdom, let him that hath "understanding count the number of the beast. However, the event will discover "it." And again, on St. Luke ix. 55. he thus speaks: "It is believed by many, and "not without cause, that the Pope and his "faction are the antichristian beast; I will "6 say no more than I know in this matter: "I am not certain that it is he that is particularly designed in scripture by that "name; but however that be, I challenge

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"antichrist himself, whoever he is, and "whenever he comes, to do worse and "wickeder things than he has done: verily "it almost looks uncharitably barely to re"late what these men have not blushed to "act."

CHAP. XIV.

The design and scope of this chapter is threefold: First, to show that during the reign of the beast, mentioned in the foregoing chapter, Christ had a church, a number of virgins, of pure and unpolluted souls, who did zealously and sincerely worship him. Secondly, that the light of the gospel, which had been so long suppressed, should at length break forth gloriously, in the faithful preaching of it, to the downfall of Babylon, and the comfort of Sion, the church of God. Thirdly, The chapter acquaints us with the happy coudition of such as die in the Lord; and particularly of the martyrs which die for the Lord; and concludes with an account of the dreadful punishments which God would inflict upon their persecutors.

AND I looked, and lo, a Lamb

stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

This verse represents to us a fresh vision which St. John had, in which several things are very observable, as, 1. What and whom St. John saw, a Lamb, by whom Christ is to be understood. 2. The posture which this Lamb was found in, he stood, showing thereby his readiness to deliver his church, and to do every thing that is needful for her. 3. The place where he stood on, Mount Sion, that is, in the midst of the church. Christ ever has been, is, and will be, present with his church, even to the end, although his presence with her is not always sensibly perceived; his care is mysteriously exercised; he is then taking most care of her when he seems to take least, nay, when the men of the world think he takes none at all. Observe, 4. His company and attendants, and they are described two ways, 1. By their number, to wit, an hundred forty and four thousand, whereby the collective body of the whole church is to be understood; and intimates to us, that in the worst of times, even when apostasy and persecution do most universally prevail, Christ never wants a church, and is not without a number of true worshippers. 2. They are described by their badge or mark, having their Father's name written in their foreheads; in opposition to the mark of the beast mentioned in the foregoing chapter, and in allusion to a custom amongst men, who put their mark or names upon their goods,

especially upon such as are very precious, as silver or gold vessels, and the like; so that the mark of the Father's name upon the forehead denotes both the precious, esteem which God has of his people, and also intimates their open profession and owning of him for their Lord and Master, and their faithful adherence to his worship. Learn hence, That the sincere worship of God, with the open and avowed profession of his holy and undefiled religion, accompanied with a suitable conversation, is a better mark and note of the true church than multitudes and numbers, which are a

note of the antichristian synagogue: the world wonders after the beast, when Mount Sion here affords only an hundred forty-four thousand, which had the Father's name written on their foreheads.

2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder; and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders and no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.

St. John here describes the true worshippers of Christ in the midst of antichristian idolatry; where we have, 1. The acceptable worship they perform, prayer and praise, an heavenly exercise, which, like thunder, and the voice of many waters, sounds loud in the ears of God, and is certainly heard by him, and is melodious like the harp, and therefore as acceptable to him as the sweetest music is to us. 2. The persons described who perform this acceptable worship, such as were redeemed from the earth; where the earth is put for earthly-minded men, the false church: the meaning is, that God has fetched this small number of true worshippers, the hundred forty-four thousand, from among the false worshippers and impure ones, he hath rescued them from the world of idolaters, and from the superstitious multitude. 3. The persons described before whom this worship is performed, Before the throne, and before the four beasts and elders,-Lefore the throne, to show the reverence and sincerity wherewith they performed the same, as in the sight of the great and glorious

God; and before the beasts and elders, that is, the whole congregation of the saints, according to that of the Psalmist, Psal. lxxxix. 7. God is greatly to be feared in the assemblies of his saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him.

4 These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whitbersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb.

St. John proceeds here in describing the true worshippers of God, which would not comply with antichristian idolatry: 1. He styles them virgins, thereby intimating that they are the chaste spouse of Christ, and the true church, who worship God alone with religious worship; and they have not defiled themselves with women, that is, spiritually committed whoredom, they have not been inveigled with the whore to commit spiritual fornication. Where note, That idolatry is a filthy sin, it is as odious to God as whoredom and uncleanness, and an idolatrous church is a filthy whore, unworthy to claim the title of a mother, unless it be the mother of fornications. 2. They are said to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes; this is spoken in opposition to those who followed the beast, and denotes their imitation of Christ's example, and their firm adherence to the purity of his doctrine and worship, although it expose them to hazard and danger. 3. They are called the first-fruits unto God, and the Lamb, which denotes their paucity, like a few sheaves in comparison of the whole harvest; their sanctity, the first-fruits were holy to the Lord, and were his peculiar portion; also their safety and security, as the first-fruits were God's portion, so it was both sacrilegious and unsafe to rob God of his portion. By calling them the first-fruits which were holy to the Lord, we see the special interest and propriety that God has in his faithful servants and true worshippers beyond all others; they are his peculiar portion, his inheritance, his treasure, which he will ever take care of, and be concerned for.

5 And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the throne of God.